Should all go to plan, Ireland could finally have a new Taoiseach by the end of the weekend. If the Programme for Government is ratified by the members of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens, Michéal Martin will become Ireland's first Manchester United-supporting Fianna Fail Taoiseach since Bertie Ahern.
Yet hours ahead of the possible confirmation, Martin, with a single tweet, let the proverbial mask slip on both his ethics as a sports fan and, possibly, his approach to leadership.
At exactly 11pm last night, Martin, who supports Manchester United like many Corkonians of his generation, tweeted his congratulations to Liverpool upon their Premier League win.
I might be a Man U fan, but it’s very hard not to enjoy the Liverpool success tonight. Congratulations to all my colleagues and friends who are celebrating! #LFC
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) June 25, 2020
In a social media arena dripping with toxic negativity, I suppose it's nice to see a gesture of good will, but Martin has shown his peers how not to be a sport-following politician with this tweet.
No Manchester United supporter could have enjoyed last night's scenes. The sight of a beaming Phil Thompson drinking champagne poolside and declaring 'We're back on our perch' or the visage of Kenny Dalglish and his big red scarf skyping the Sky Sports studio from his cupboard would have left any 'Man U' fan retching and gripping a nearby wastebin with fear of impending vomit. For Manchester United fans, the night was long and very hard to enjoy.
In a span of 24 hours, Martin seems to be attempting to bridge Ireland's two great rifts: 1) Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and 2) Liverpool and Manchester United. The enmity between the first two parties, it turns out, is easily resolved when Sinn Fein is resurgent. The divide between Liverpool and Manchester United cannot be sorted and should never attempted to be. Martin's attempt to be gracious here just shows that he doesn't understand how fandom, and thus human nature, work. It is an ominous mood note ahead of the formation of the next government.
The tweet was ratioed and Martin was rightly called out for 'fence-sitting'.
I don’t endorse this one bit. I hope it’s their last for 50 years https://t.co/fwNECdKWq0
— Micheal Martin (@MichealAMartin) June 25, 2020
How to appeals to two tribes - and alienate both. Our next Taoiseach, ladies and gentlemen https://t.co/nVtAEmumDT
— Mark McCadden (@markmccadden) June 25, 2020
That’s Michéal’s presents sorted: Man Utd/Liverpool half-and-half scarf for his birthday and a FF/FG one for Christmas. https://t.co/nEUSSXWeAq
— John Cotter (@John_Cotter) June 26, 2020
He even sits on the fence on football 😂 https://t.co/lToNqIOstI
— Lee Hamill (@leehamill12) June 25, 2020
For better or worse, we can't imagine Bertie tweeting this.
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